The Fidelity
by Kotahsouras
Summary: Koji and Rida are bieng shipped off to Death Weapon Miester Academy to help Lord Death with an odd number of rising keshin eggs. Rida is famous, Koji is a nobody. And she will do ANYTHING to make him proud. OC STORY
1. The Celebrity?

CHAPTER ONE

"And so you see son, it will be YOUR job as the next Grim Reaper to show our guests around." Lord Death tilted his head.

"Yes, of course Father. They will see nothing but the finest hospitality from Death Weapon Meister Academy." Kid affirmed willingly—however, he cared more about having something to do then the son of a famous Death Scythe needing a good place to stay. Patty and Liz had left for 'girl time', or something like that, and Kid had been bored.

At first the alone time was nice—he made sure his house was symmetrical, then was able to read in peace, then he could measure every angle of the schools exterior and confirmed that it was perfectly symmetrical.

But then he ran out of things to do. He went to his friends, but they had all been busy with work he had already finished (With the exception of Black Star, who was out working out).

"Kid?" Lord Death asked, making Kid snap back into reality. "Try not to scare them."

Kid looked up with big eyes. "Scare them?"

"Oh, nothingggg." Lord Death tilted in the other direction, before pointing a huge finger at the exit of his other worldly room. "They will be here any minute. Be waiting!"

Nodding, Kid hurried off, thinking 'He's acting like this guy is a celebrity or something!'

**~Later~**

As Kid finally reached the entrance of Death Weapon Meister Academy, he found himself staring at a sea of students, as far as the eye could see. They had pooled around the steps, looking at the street as if some kind of King had just arrived.

"Excuse me, pardon me, PARDON ME!" He finally snapped at someone as they refused to let him up to the front. As soon as he snapped, they jumped out of his path. However, that was only about three feet into the crowd.

His fiercely golden eyes searched the sea, before he noticed a flash of white hair, and sharp teeth. "Ah, Soul!"

Soul turned, hands in his pockets before he nodded to Kid. Snickering at Kid having to struggle past students to get over, he muttered "Sup?"

Kid huffed, brushing off his black coat and straightening himself. "Hello Soul," his tone was had an all-business official-ness that meant Lord Death must have put Kid on a mission. "Why is everyone so excited?"

Soul sighed, turning back to where everyone was looking. "You mean you haven't heard? That Death Scythes son is coming."

Kid was not impressed, "So?"

Soul just chuckled. "So? Dude, he's practically famous. He's come here from Russia to help out Death City. It's like an honor or something."

"So these people are worshiping him?"

"No—He's famous for being the strongest weapon out there." Soul noted, and Kid seemed to stiffen.

"PLUS," Soul's face twisted. "He apparently has a band—all of the girls are fawning over him. It's making it hard for us to get any chicks… not cool, man. Not cool at all"

"Alright then," Kid sighed the words. "I should make sure that this crowd doesn't bother him as he arrives."

Nodding a goodbye to Soul, Kid turned and pushed past endless groups of people to the street.

There was the sound of tires squealing in protest against pavement, and the entire crowd went silent, alarming Kid.

He was able to look over the heads of students, watching with agitated eyes as a sleek black limo slowly pulled onto the street. It was like silence was choking everyone—not one person could utter a word as the vehicle approached.

However, as it approached, you could hear something coming from the inside.

_**/Lollipop, Lollipop, Ohhh, Lolli, Lolli, Lolli, Lollipop! Bum-dum-dum-dum!/ **_

That old song? It was easy to hear from feet away—it must be blaring from inside. Suddenly the window rolled down and sound exploded from the car. Some people jumped.

There was a boy with sleek hair, one side black and one side red, and dark, dark eyes inside, hunched over another figure angrily. "Turn the music OFF! You've been listening to it for HOURS!"

The voice that came from the other side of him was female. "But RIDA, I LOVE the classics!"

"THE CLASSICS ARE GIVING ME A HEADACHE!" The boy hissed, beating on the shiny, smooth leather seat with his fist.

As there was silence outside of the car, an old looking chauffeur with a tuxedo got out of the front seat. He had thin hair and impassive features—not a fun-loving-looking-guy.

Kid surveyed the man, before having an impression that he was going to enjoy opening the door and embarrassing the boy inside.

As he had predicted, the man opened up the door silently, to reveal the same black and red haired boy still screaming at the hidden figure behind him. "What do you mean, 'We've stopped?' THE MUSIC IS STILL PLAYING!"

It was then the old chauffeur spoke, his voice shook with age and he seemed to carry each word with a sigh. "Master Rida? We have arrived."

Still turned away from the door, the boy froze over the huddled up figure in front of him, before very, very slowly swiveling his head to see a crowd of shocked looking people staring right back at him.

And he was screaming and making a fool of himself.

Recovering a cool attitude, Rida slipped from the car, and grinned at the people awaiting his arrival. "Hello! You will be happy to know that was just an act for your own amusement!"

There was another deafening silence, before suddenly everyone broke into cheer around him.

Girls where almost hysterical with happiness that a celebrity was there.

Everyone, except, Soul and Kid.

Soul's voice came from behind Kid very suddenly. "I don't buy that for a minute. You?" Kid jumped; Soul must have slipped past shocked groups of people while it was silent

Kid shook his head in silent agreement. "No—Not at all. We might need crowd control soon—I see what you mean by the girls are 'fawning for him'." In fact, their fan-girlish screams where hurting his ears. He wanted to help this boy get situated then retreat back into his quiet home.

Finally pushing past everyone without hesitation, he reached the front and stiffened, throwing out his arms and bellowing in a voice jam packed with authority. "EVERY STUDENT TO DEATH WEAPON MEISTER ACADEMY, PLEASE RETURN TO YOUR CLASSROOMS UNDER THE ORDERS OF LORD DEATH HIMSELF! I REPEAT, PLEASE RETURN TO YOUR CLASSROOMS!"

Almost immediately, disappointed fan-girls began to whine and spill out of the entrance, filing back inside. Soul followed them, hands in his pockets and slightly hunched over. Soon it was just Kid, and the new arrivals.

"So then, Stripes, what's with the temper?" the smooth, almost hypnotic voice that belonged to Rida sighed.

Kid turned, not appreciating the nickname. "They should have been in class." Trying to push away his slight annoyance, he sighed and held out his hand in a formal manner. "My name is Death the Kid. And I'm showing you around today-"

It was then that Kid realized.

Rida's jacket… one side was black, and on the other side of the zipper was scarlet.

Of course, the fact that just one thing was asymmetrical made him notice other things. At first the hair wouldn't have bothered him because it would have made him a hypocrite, but because something else was wrong he couldn't help but judge.

So, Kid found himself with a disgusted look twisted into his featured, glaring at the boy in silence.

Rida, immediately noting the icy glare coming from Kid, looked over his shoulder and found no-one, then turned back with narrowed eyes. "What's your problem?"

Before Kid could gather himself enough to answer, a sweet female voice came from behind Rida. His attention was immediately brought to the source.

There was a slim girl with super fine looking silver hair, and big purple eyes. Her smile reminded him slightly of Tsubaki, and in her arms was a tower of endless suitcases. The weight was making her legs shake, but she was smiling happily. "Master Rida, that's Death the Kid—he has a peculiar obsession with symmetry, and you're… Less than symmetrical!"

Kid blinked—how did a girl from Russia know about his love of symmetry? Unlike her partner, everything about her was symmetrical… except for the purple Lord Death barrette in her hair. But barrettes can be removed. Other than that she was very symmetrical indeed. He liked her immediately.

Rida looked back at the obviously struggling girl, before turning back to Kid. "Really? Oh, then… Sorry I think."

Kid struggled to nod, before looking over his shoulder at the girl once more. "Do you need help?"

She swayed as the suitcases wobbled, brows furrowed with concentration and her arms aching. "Oh? No, I'm fine! I can do this!"

Kid muttered a quick "Are you sure?" and she stumbled in their direction, giggling.

"Oh yeah. This is all Master Rida's most favorite stuff; I wouldn't drop it for the world!"

Rida was already stalking ahead of them, and Kid made sure to stay close to her so he could catch a suitcase if one dropped. However, he was still wondering why she was carrying all ten of HIS suitcases, and why she didn't have ONE?

"If you don't mind me asking-"he had to break off the sentence as one of the suitcases nearly fell, and he steadied them. "-Who ARE you?"

The girl paused, before she smiled sweetly again. "Oh—my name is Koji. I'm Master Rida's Meister."

Kid tilted his head, hands behind his back. "I didn't know he had one."

She giggled at him—it was almost like a Patty giggle. "Well, who did you think wielded him? He's only a weapon."

Kid hadn't even thought about that. With all the hype, he hadn't bothered to ask about the second person who had come with Rida.

Rida suddenly turned, making them have to halt quickly. Koji almost dropped all of the cases trying not to run into him. "Are you two about done flirting? I have some questions about the campus."

Kid made a 'Well!' face, and thought about just not answering, but his Father's request to make them feel at home floated around his skull for a moment. "…Yes?"

"Where do I stay? I didn't get a hotel."

Kid looked up, incredulous. "You didn't find a place to STAY?"

Rida just shook his head, an arrogant expression on his face.

It was not Rida who made Kid do what he did next—it was Koji.

A horrible, guilty and sad expression ever so lightly touched the girl's features. "M-Master… I'm so sorry I didn't remind you… I hate the streets…"

Kid growled under his breath, remembering his father's request before finally muttering, "Fine… If you wish, you may stay at my home for ONE night, until you find a place to stay permanently."

Rida just looked at him skeptically—he didn't like this 'Death the Kid' guy much at all.

"Master Rida, can we please?"

He turned to glare at Koji for a split second, and she squeaked before he grumbled "Fine."


	2. Needless to Say

Needless to say, the first day that Koji and Rida had stayed in Kid's house had been… both vexing and entertaining.

Kid had woken up in the middle of the night to a rather suspicious crashing noise in his living room, followed by hushed whispers. Immediately, he slipped out of bed and, dawning his expensive silk pajamas, bolted down the steps to find out what was happening to his preciously symmetrical house.

What he witnessed when he came down the stairs would burn into the back of his eyelids, and haunt him for the rest of his life.

Rida was in a fit of rage, and grabbed a vase from one of his lamp tables, hurling it across the room.

Koji was there too—her arms where full of glass vases and bowls and plates that she must have saved from shattering against walls. "M-Master Rida! Please don't throw it! This isn't our home-"

Her whispered plea was interrupted by him throwing the vase at HER. She squeaked and ducked, silver ringlets fling inwards with the sudden motion. Her violet eyes wide, the girl set down her plates and reached up fruitlessly to catch the one that was already a centimeter from slamming into the wall.

"Don't try and boss ME around, you servant." His anger made him shake, and she nodded rather pathetically as the vase slammed into the wall and shattered into a million pieces, that showered all over the carpet.

It was then that Kid saw it.

Due to several smashed items, his living room was… asymmetrical.

"You…You…" he fumed, both of his guest's heads snapping up. He took one, gentle step forwards. However, it was more threatening than anything Koji had ever seen in her entire life.

"What?" Rida snapped, before looking at the now asymmetrical room. "Oh, that. I can replace them. Don't get your nickers in a twist."

Kid's eyes where so wide they looked demented. "REPLACE? Those where PRICELESS, you arrogant, rude-"

"At least I'm not some striped guy obsessed with symmetry."

Kid picked up one of his fireplace pokers. "You want to duel? Let's go, imbosile." Celebrity or not, this guy was getting on Kid's nerves.

Rida smirked at the chance to fight. "Ahh, look! He grew himself a pair!" There was an angry silence. "Fine, bring it, Stripes."

Kid charged at Rida with the poker, who braced himself for impact and began to change into a weapon.

"No!" As the poker got close to Rida's stomach, suddenly something ripped it from his hands and a sharp blow was delivered to the space between Kid's collar bone and his neck. Immediately Kid's joints locked up and he collapsed backwards.

A paralyzing attack? By Rida?

Instead, an unexpected person stood before Kid, eyes wide and frightened…

Koji panted, fireplace poker held in one hand and pointed at Kid, and two fingers held up in front of her face like a second weapon. Even though the girl clearly had an advantage, she looked more afraid of KID than anything and was obviously frightened.

There was silence, and a jumble of confusion and hatred hung thickly in the air, choking Koji easily.

Finally, Koji spoke, because Rida was looking at her with both shocked and irritated eyes and had no intention of speaking. "D-Death the Kid. As R-Rida's Meister a-and servant, I w-would protect him at any costs. If you a-are angry, punish me instead."

Kid could finally feel his legs ago, and popped his neck uneasily, regaining movement once again. Before he could speak, Koji was stammering again.

"I-I understand that those objects w-where precious to you… The Altukhov Family will pay for them tenfold anyways… P-Please forgive Master R-Rida for his actions."

Kid blinked; once, twice. He wanted to be angry, he wanted to avenge his poor furniture.

However, he couldn't find himself angry at her, especially with her loyalty and apology for him blocking out her fear for her own pain. Again, there was silence before Kid angrily huffed. "Tenfold won't be necessary. Just repay me."

Slowly Koji nodded.

After that, Rida had angrily went off to his room, and Koji didn't seem to want to retire just yet. Kid went back to bed, leaving her in the living room.

The next morning, Kid came downstairs with a new bounce in his step. He usually woke up in a relatively good mood.

He had almost forgotten the incident of the night before, other than a tiny grudge against Rida for his idiocy. Wearing his usual suit with his hair combed perfectly symmetrical, he was ready to make breakfast for his guests and himself, then head off to school as their guide.

As he entered the kitchen, a great, smell wafted into his nostrils and his eyes widened. The aroma was sweet and gentle, a hint of vanilla on a soft cloud. He looked around to see still warm pancakes on a plate for him, in a perfectly symmetrical stack with the number '8' written on the top pancake in whipped cream. On the fridge was a note written in deep red ink.

The note read;

'Dear Death the Kid,

My most deep condolences for your furniture last night—you will see that your living area is perfectly symmetrical once more. The tenfold money has been sent to your bank account, and I prepared breakfast for you! Please enjoy the pancakes, I made them symmetrical in every way. Master Rida wanted to leave early, so I went to. I think he wants to explore the school before the classes start.

-Buttons and Blouses,

Koji'

Kid marveled at the letter, before bolting into his living room.

"Remarkable!" every furniture that had been destroyed the previous night was back in place, neat and tidy and symmetrical, a wad of cash laying on the main table in front of the couch.

As he returned to the kitchen, he smiled and threw the note away, his mood admirably lifted.

Even though the 'Buttons and Blouses' thing had been a bit odd, he found himself pleased and happy for the breakfast. Patty and Liz couldn't cook to save their lives, and Kid usually had to do that.

He was taking a fork out of the kitchen drawer when two familiar voices came from behind him.

"Mmm! I smell something yummy!" Patty giggled, bouncing into the room with a huge grin.

Liz nodded in agreement, eyes starry at the thought of what amazing food must have that smell. "Kid, we're back! What smells that good?"

Kid turned to them with a 'Welcome back!' smile, shoving some pancake into his mouth. Chewing thoroughly, eight times on each side of his mouth he swallowed and grinned. "Hello!"

Liz saw the pancakes while Patty was staring at the brightly colored note on the floor. Kid had missed the trash can. She reached down and picked up the note, opening it and shoving it into Liz's face. "Hey, Sis! Read this!"

"Why?" But Liz had already taken the note in her hands and was scanning it while Kid watched, slightly dismayed he had missed the trash bin and not noticed.

Liz gasped, and her eyes widened, mouth drawing a big 'O' shape.

"…Rida?" She whispered, before suddenly she was screaming. "As in Rida ALTUKHOV?"

Kid blinked, "Yes, why?"

Liz and Patty exchanged the same, rather dreamy look before Liz continued. "Rida ALTUKHOV stayed in THIS HOUSE? What room!"

"You two's room. WHY?"

Without an answer, Patty ran off up the stairs, and Liz was jumping up and down. "Oh my god! He stayed in MY room? Rida stayed in MY ROOM!"

Suddenly it clicked together for Kid. "Oh… Let me guess… Fans of his music?"

Patty came back down, eyes huge. "Hey, Sis! The note said he was already at school!"

Without hesitation, Liz grabbed Kid's arm and yanked him away from his mouth watering pancakes. "LET'S GO! NOWWWWWW."


	3. Bruises?

Rida peered down the deserted street with his emotionless scarlet eyes, gritting his teeth and cringing every time Koji yanked on his hair.

Humming happily, despite the gloomy day, Koji dragged a comb through his hair so he could look his very best on his first day.

The day was less than sunny—the sun in the sky was frowning slightly, and clouds covered all around it. It gave off almost a ghostly gloom from the color drained sky, shining off of Rida and Koji's ghostly pale skin.

Finally, when the comb caught a knot in his hair, Rida got fed up and snapped. "Jesus, Koji. Stop that!"

Koji shrank slightly, but still kept her smile patiently and whispered "Just ONE more, Master Rida…" as she gave one final rip of his hair, the knot came undone and he growled in pain. Whipping around the boy grabbed her wrist and yanked upwards. The comb flew into the street and landed in a muddy puddle.

She yelped slightly, but instead of getting hostile to him her eyes got very, very soft. "Here…" she sighed, reaching with her free arm down to her pocket. Pulling out a compact mirror, the girl showed him his own angry eyes.

He looked into his own furious face for a moment, before his wild eyes calmed slightly and he released her. "Y-You're okay…"

So as to make him feel more comfortable, she giggled and tilted her eyes. "Sorry for what? Here, let me fix your hair… You ruffled it all funny…"

He was silent as she hopped up onto the curb, needing the extra inches to be able to fix his head because of how tall he was. With nimble fingers she worked through his hair, then smiled and hopped down. "See? Better."

Using the small mirror he surveyed his hair, then nodded and handed it back to her. "It looks nice." He had to admit, Koji had always had a natural talent for cosmetics… and cooking, and cleaning and décor. She was a good servant in general.

"Oh, yay!" she giggled, before stuffing the object back into her pumpkin short's pocket and stating "Let's keep moving. The school isn't very far. I don't see why we walked, though…"

Rida's answer was drawn out in a slow, irritated way. Like someone stretching out taffy. "I don't know… walking seemed like a good idea. At least it isn't humid."

She considered this as his good mood, even though she could see the red mark where he had grabbed her, which was now beginning to grow discolored. "Do you think the school has a nurse?" she asked the question absentmindedly, looking at her wrist.

He didn't turn to see why she had asked, and shrugged. "I'm sure they do—it isn't the safest place ever."

"Oh yeah…" she muttered, blinking and flexing her wrist once more before wincing and skipping up to him like nothing was wrong. "So then, Rida. What are you going to do about the girls?"

"What?"

Koji blinked, violet eyes widening ever so slightly. There was no way he didn't know. "The girls who like your MUSIC, Master."

"Oh, them." Rida shrugged. "Hell if I know. Let them drool?"

She nodded. "Am I to keep them away?"

He thought about this, opening his mouth to speak. However, he reconsidered and closed it again; just to open it again with a new conclusion. "No, you don't need to. You deserve a break."

"Really?" her eyes went starry. "Yes~ Whooooo!"

For some reason he was able to relax some. "Hurry now; I want to know what class I take before a hoard of mindless hormone crazed teenagers attack me."

"Where are you going to learn that?"

"Well," he began, looking up at the gloomy sky. "I was going to stop by Lord Death's office again."

Koji's heart sank and her face paled. When Kid had taken them into Lord Death's office before, it was TERRIBLE.

That creepy mask, the horrible looming figure that WAS Lord Death, horrified Koji beyond any sensible logic.

"Well, come on then." Rida muttered, before speeding up.

**~Later~**

Lord Death looked up from his mirror at the sound of someone approaching. Bending sideways slightly, eyes focused on them, the Shinigami blinked before cheerily greeting, "Oh, hello Rida! How was your stay at Kid's house? He always was so hospitable."

Rida stepped inside the Death Room, but Koji hung back, hiding behind one of the poled that held up a guillotine like blade. "Hello Lord Death. I had a _dandy_ stay."

Lord Death did not pick up on the dry sarcasm—or pretended not to notice. "Oh, well great!" Tilting to the right even farther, he squinted his eyes at Koji hiding in the background. "Would you like to come in here, Koji?"

However, this is what Koji saw;

Lord Death looked over Rida's shoulder, looming over her friend like some kind of hideous monster. A black, gaping grin in his mask, he asked "Come inside, dear? So I can kill you?"

She squeaked, confusing Lord Death, and shook her head frantically. "O-O-O-O-Oh, no thank you, S-S-Sir Lord D-D-D-Death, Sir!"

He sighed, perplexed. "Huh? Well, anyways, you will both be assigned to class Crescent Moon. Make sure not to be late to class, okay?"

Rida nodded coolly, sighing. "Thanks. And Koji asked me earlier—is there a nurse's office or something along those lines?"

"Why yes, there is. Second floor, the first hall. It's the last room." Shinigami looked to Koji, noticing her red and blue wrist. "Oh my, did you fall?"

She felt like it would ager him did she not step forwards, so she did. However, the silver haired girl hid her arm behind her back. "NO! It's N-NOTHING! WHY?"

Rida shot her a strange, 'You're embarrassing me!' look.

Lord Death took this all in and blinked suspiciously. "Well, in case you need it, go later. Okay?"

"O-O-O-Okey D-Dokey, Sir!"

"Well, off with you two then!" Shinigami shooed them in a polite way. "See you after your first day of classes!"

Practically leaving Rida behind, Koji bolted from the room with her arms cradled to her chest, making several clouds of dust fly up behind her.

As Rida growled something under his breath and sped up to catch her so she didn't do something stupid, he called "Hey, Koji, wait up a second! Let me see your wrist!" Then the door to Lord Death's office closed.

Rida sped after the trail of flying papers, and got the feeling that Koji was running from HIM now, not whatever it was earlier. "KOJI, WAIT!"

She abruptly slammed her brakes, stumbling to a halt then falling on her face when her feet tangled. Standing up as if nothing had happened, she turned to him with her hands behind her back. "My what? Don't be silly! Ha-ha…ha…"

Rather harshly, he caught up and without a word yanked her upper arm from behind her back, scanning the swelling of her wrist. "Did I do this?"

She was looking away, unresponsive.

Irritated, he clapped his hands in her face and she jumped nearly out of his skin. "Hey, helloooooo? Did I do that?"

Quietly, she nodded; waiting for him to be angry at her for being so stupid and making him pissed enough to bruise her.

However, when he touched her wrist again it was gentle and rather gingerly, as if concerned it might bruise further. "Koji, I'm no good with medical stuff. Will it spread or something?"

She shook her hanging head again, quivering from head to toe.

"…" There was a grim silence, and his hand rose. She squeezed her eyes shut and braced for impact.

*Snap!*

The sound alerted her, and her lavender eyes traveled upwards, to see that he had snapped off the button on cuff of his undershirt, then ripped it off cleanly so it was barely noticeable. Without hesitation, he tied it around her wrist. "There. Better?"

It was true; the pressure had made her wrist feel slightly less like it was throbbing. With watery eyes, she mumbled "Y-Yes, Master Rida."

"Now come on." His tone was all business again. "I want to see more of the school."

They walked a few steps in silence, before she spoke up again, tone curious and soft. "Why did you-"

"How are you going to work if you're wounded?" Edginess touched his voice. "Don't thank me or any of that cheesy crap."

This made her smile, and she skipped up to walk behind her taller friend. "Of course, Master Rida."


	4. Ten Textbooks

The deep, almost hypnotic chimes of the school bell sounded, sending hoards of students rushing to their classes as to not be late.

Maka smiled as she walked into class, heavy books clutched to her chest and coat flying up behind her small figure. Green eyes squinted, a smile touched her features to see Soul already up in the bleacher like desks. Soul was drooling slightly, feet propped up on his desk and hands behind his head. His features where etched into a sharp smirk. She bounded up the stairs, grinning. "Soul!"

Soul was already nodding in her direction "Hey Maka, sup?"

She slipped into her seat next to him, stretching and grinning. "Well, I FINALLY got done with all of my projects and homework." Eyes sparkling with relief, she added, "Did I miss anything? Its like excitement is buzzing all around."

Soul slurped slightly, before grinning to her. "See Maka, if you where cool like me, you would know that a celebrity enrolled here."

Maka's eyebrows rose to a curious arch, and her eyes brightened at the news. "Really? Who?"

"Some guy called Rida Altukhov." Soul blocked out sound for a moment, expecting a really annoying squeal that every other girl he told had made. However, Maka's reaction was closer to Tsubaki's.

"Is he a movie star or something?"

Soul chuckled, incredulous. "Are you kidding? He's in a band. Everyone seems to be fawning over him except you and Tsubaki. Even the Thompson sisters."

"Oh." Maka shrugged, setting down her books with a thud. "I've never heard of him."

"Soul, Maka! Goooood MORNING!" The muscular, blue haired figure of Black Star sped into the room, grinning cockily. Tsubaki quietly slipped in behind him, smiling at his antics.  
>Noting the lack of teacher quickly, he smirked. "Well, I think you guys would need a man as big as me to be your teacher, right?" Sitting in the teacher's rolling chair, he kicked the ground once, hard. The chair spun around faster and faster. "YahOOOO!"<p>

Soul just shook his head, and Tsubaki's eyes went wide. "Black Star, Professor Stein wouldn't want you in his chair!" Her long, black veil of hair fell fluidly down t her waist.

Black Star only spun faster. Kid entered then, still in a good mood from his pancakes with Li and Patty flanking his sides.

"Good Morning." He greeted in that ever smooth voice of his, looking around thoughtfully before jumping up the stairs and taking his seat I the row above Soul and Maka's.

Liz and Patty however, where on an all out man hunt. "Hey, has anyone seen Rida Altukhov?" Liz asked.

Patty watched the door with big eyes, and Liz was looking under rows of desks. "Don't worry, Sis! I'll look out for him!"

Maka surveyed everyone, taking count. "So, other than Crona, is everyone here?" They all replied with short 'Yep!' noises, and she nodded. The rest of the class slowly filed in, unhappy for another day of school and sluggishly getting into their seats.

Everyone, except Rida Altukhov.

Black Star gripped the side of the chair, feeling dizzy now as he fist pumped. "Yah-"

Suddenly, a quick hand gripped the rest of the chair, and inertia hurled Black Star at the ground. "Hey, what's the big idea, throwing around such a big man like me-"

Dr. Stein loomed over the crumpled figure of Black Star, glasses flashing. "Black Star? Get in your seat."

Everyone, moderately terrified of the presence of an angry professor Stein, leaned back in their seats. Even Black Star didn't give him any trouble before striding to his seat.  
>Suddenly Stein's mood change. He sat backwards in his seat, pulling out a sheet of names and adjusting his glasses. "Okayyy…." He drew out the word like taffy as he read over the names. "Is seems as though today we will have a new student, Rida Altukhov, and-"<p>

However, the Professor was cut off by at least twenty girls breaking into squeals and questions, such as 'He's in OUR class? Oh my god!' and 'We're going to get married!'  
>Patty fist pumped, and screamed, "WHOOO!"<p>

Waiting for the noise to die down, which took a good five minutes, Stein continued. "-I expect you all to show him the best of hospitality. Understood? Now, can Rida Altukhov please stand up?"

Nothing. Not one person stood.

Stein tilted his head. "Late, on his first day? Not a good impression…"

It was just then that the door creaked open, and a pale, red and black haired boy with rather brooding eyes and sharp features entered. His hands where stuffed into his pockets, and his scarlet eyes seemed to hold meaning in them, like they radiated emotion.

Immediately, the girls in the class, (Pardon Maka and Tsubaki) exploded into a roar of applause.

Maka raised a brow, frowning. "Why are they applauding? He didn't do anything."

Black Star jumped from his seat, standing on the desk. "Hey! No-one cheers for me like that when I walk in, and I'm a much bigger man than that guy!"

Dr. Stein turned the crank sticking out of his head, and it was like he had turned down the volume to music. It turned down what he could hear from the loud class, but not completely. Spinning in his chair, the teacher waved Rida over. "So, you'll sit right there…" he pointed up into the bleachers, to two small seats. One was just next to Death the Kid, the other was just next to Black Star. Just below those two seats, where Soul and Maka.

Rida gave a distasteful look to Kid, who shot it back with cold hate. He began to stride to his chair, but Dr. Stein stopped him. "Wait, wait, wait… It says that there will also be a 'Koji Altukhov' with us today?"

A sweet, soft voice came from the still open door, and all attention was still on Rida as Koji stumbled in, sweat beads across her forehead and with sore arms holding ten text books. Five where hers and five belonged to Rida, so he wouldn't have to carry them. "Oh, sorry… I couldn't catch up because of how h-heavy these are… And I'm not an Altukhov… They are far beyond my standards, Sir…"

When she spoke, whispers broke out like fire among the students. Some girls seemed crushed that he already had a Meister. Some asked 'Who is this girl?' in nasty tones. Some were genuinely curious.

Needless to say no-one had even known that Koji existed until just now. She had happily let Rida take all the credit for the work they had done together. She had never wanted fame; and he seemed to enjoy it.

Maka muttered aloud, even though she was really speaking to herself. "Who is that?"

Kid leaned forwards, answering so that the whole group could hear this. "That's Rida's Meister." He furrowed his brow in irritation at how Liz and Patty made unhappy groans at this. "AS I WAS SAYING, her name is Koji. Sweet girl."

"Why is she carrying his books? It looks like she might collapse." Tsubaki asked, wide eyes rather alarmed.

"Because he doesn't treat her the best." Kid spat, making no effort to hide his dislike for Rida at all.

Dr. Stein looked at Koji with curious eyes from behind his glasses. "What is your last name then?"

The small, pained looking girl replied in a soft tone, and even though she spoke few words it seemed like they were jam packed with meaning. "I…I don't have one, Professor. Just Koji."

Rida finally began to walk up the bleachers, ducking smoothly past hands as they reached out for him. He had never been exposed to fans like the rest of the band. As he approached his seat he noticed the hungry eyes of Patty and Liz and hesitated.

Well, fans where irritating.

Koji nodded happily to Stein, before turning to the stairs. When Black Star could see her in full view, he muttered to Tsubaki, "Hey, Tsubaki… does it look like she's crying to you?"

It was true, Koji's eyes where watering, but she wasn't sad. The pain of the books felt like her arms where falling off.

Rida, not noticing her pain, sat down in the seat that was next to Black Star, ignoring Kid as if he didn't exist.

Koji shakily managed the first step, fire like pain shooting up her calf, then the second step. Her eyes closed briefly, but she showed no signs of giving up. An Altukhov servant would never let down their master.

She would rather die than let him down.

She tried the next step and staggered slightly, but kept going.

What happened next Koji didn't even think was possible.

Maka and Tsubaki exchanged a glance, before they disappeared. Next thing Koji knew her books where gone, and the horrible weight was lifted. Maka, along with Tsubaki, where each managing five books.

Koji just stood there, stunned, watching as the two girls went back up the steps. Then she bolted up, slowly sitting in her seat to find her books already on her desk in two neat piles.

Leaning over the desk, she looked at Maka and Tsubaki with huge eyes.

Maka offered a kind smile. "Well, hey Koji. Nice to meet you. My name is Maka, and this is Tsubaki."

**I appreciate all of your reviews and comments SO MUCH! They make me love writing, and give me passion for the story. So here's a shout out for all of you who reviewed so far!**


	5. Medicine

At the lunch bell, Koji turned to see a whole group of girls (Including Patty and Liz) dragging Rida away by force. She gasped and reached out to save him, but he gently waved her off. "Don't worry, I can handle them. I promised you a break, remember? Hey, and take it easy on your wrist!" He called the last word, before being enveloped by the hoard and dragged off by his elbows.

Koji scanned the empty class room through shimmery lilac eyes, looking down and gently exhaling a sigh. Even though she looked out of place and lonely without Rida nearby, the girl was humming the tunes to one of his songs.

She turned the corner out of the classroom, arms wrapped around herself and head low as she gave a timid nod to Professor Stein, who wished her a good lunch. Then she exited the classroom, smiling lightly and partly in her own little world.

"Hey, Koji!" The familiar voice of Death the Kid called to her, and she turned with wide, curious eyes. "Want to sit with us at lunch?"

As she looked around Kid, she noticed that Maka, Tsubaki, and two boy's whom she didn't know the names of where standing.

Koji slowly looked behind herself, then back. Yes, they WHERE talking to her. "M-Me?"

Maka giggled, "Yes you, silly! Come on!"

Slowly and carefully, the silver haired girl made her way over. "You want me to sit with you?"

Black Star grinned cockily, eyes gleaming. "Yeah, I know that sitting with such a big guy like me can be pretty intimidating."

Tsubaki just smiled at Black Star's ego, ever accepting of his attitude.

Kind of like Koji with Rida.

"Oh… Y-Yeah!" her face brightened considerably. "I would l-love to!"

They seemed satisfied with this, and Maka elbowed Soul in the ribs.

"What's your problem, Maka-"a thought donned on him. "Oh, right! Hey, I'm Soul. Sup?"

"And I'M, the amazing Black Star, who surpasses god!"

Koji blinked at them, before giggling and nodding. "Well, it's nice to meet you both. And… Kid?"

He turned, tilting his head. "Yes?"

"I really am sorry for your living room-"

He held up his hand and cut her off, golden eyes . "No need to apologize."

Everyone gave Kid a questioning look, and he explained. "She and Rida stayed at my place last night until they found an apartment."

"I woke up early this morning and found a single bedroom apartment… it's close to the Death City basketball court." Koji jumped as Soul grinned.

"Oh, that's where I and Maka live. You must be in the same building."

Tsubaki tilted her head, eyes sparkling with curiosity. "A one bedroom, for the two of you?"

Koji looked down. "Well, the room is for Rida."

No-one asked her any more questions after that.

The group made their way to the cafeteria, silent all the way up until they all sat at a table. Koji reached to her pocket.

Kid pulled out a perfectly symmetrical sandwich from a paper sack, while Kid and Maka where both pulling out leftovers from last night's dinner. Tsubaki nibbled happily on a cookie while Black Star stuffed his face with some form of sushi.

Slowly, Koji pulled her hand back to the front, revealing a single piece of blue candy. She turned it in the light, before slowly un-wrapping the piece. The paper crinkled beneath her fingertips, and she held out one hand under the wrapper. The small, crystal clear blue sweet fell with a soft thud into her open palm.

She had been waiting for this all day.

Slowly, as if the small food would disappear should she rush, Koji popped it into her mouth.

The candy at first burned, badly. The fire spread around her entire mouth, into her gums. Soon, it started to cool, until it was too cold. Freezing. Like ice it froze her tongue, and she couldn't move her jaws. Slowly, it thawed and turned sweet.

It was her medicine, something she took every day because Rida told her to.

She had to take it; because of her secret.

"Koji, what was that?" Koji looked up with wide eyes to see everyone looking at her.

"Oh, the blue thing?" she looked away, almost guiltily. "Just candy."

"Can I have a piece?" Black Star spoke through cheeks packed with food.

Koji lied again, "Sorry, it was my last piece."


	6. The dream of that dreadful night?

"Koji?"

The girl's head snapped up, and her eyes went huge.

But not that warm, friendly huge they usually where. The eyes that glared at him where cold and filled with venom.

Immediately, he was alarmed. "Koji? What's wrong? Are you okay?"

"Damn straight, something's wrong." Her tone shocked him, and he barely recognized the girl that stood in front of him. This wasn't the scared, small girl that had been cleaning in his mansion for years. Not the girl he had grown up with. "You went looking for me? Why?" 

That's when Rida saw it. Clutched in Koji's white fists, her knuckles raw and red because of the bitter cold weather around them, was a child.

The expression on the child's face alarmed him. The little girl's soft brown curls cascaded down her face elegantly, and her blank brown eyes stared up at the sky.

"…Koji… did you do this?"

Koji looked from him to the child, then back at him.

Without her eyes never leaving Rida's, she plunged her hand with brute force into the child's chest. Blood splattered, before the body disappeared to reveal a small, floating blue blob.

To Rida, the soul that had belonged to the girl was so innocent looking, so pure. So… ghostly.

"Rida, we have a problem now." Koji simply stood, licking off her blood covered fingers and snatching the human soul. Her fingertips dug into the thing slightly, and the surface jiggled like some kind of Jell-O.

Rida knew he should be sickened, but… it looked so incredibly enticing, the way that it glowed silver and floated so slightly in her palms.

"Koji… I have no choice but to…"

He tried to speak, but it was as if the Moscow snow around them in the dark alley had drifted into his muscles and frozen them. Plus… as she pressed the soul to her lips ever so gently, before carefully pushing the thing into her mouth, he found that his breath hitched and he couldn't utter a single word.

"But to what? Kill me?" she just snickered, leaning against the wall as nonchalantly as if they were speaking of the weather. "Dearest Rida… you won't get the chance."

Rida felt hot white anger surge through his veins, blinding fury that made him want to scream out. She had just taken the life of a child, a human child. She was a keshin egg. She was trash, filth! "You… You monster." Holding out his hand, a blood red light flashed and it transformed into a long, complex looking gun that glowed scarlet.

What Koji did next surprised him. She simply pushed off of the wall, letting her fingers brush the freezing brick wall as she strutted to him. Where her fingertips touched it left a bloody trail. Finally, she reached him and he found that he was frozen in place as soon as her bloody hands touched him.

She let her warm hands trail around his shoulders, before suddenly gripping him and pulling his head back. He was bending backwards, and staring right into her eyes. "I know you wish for the power, Rida. Just… give… in."

He blinked, eyes softening. This made a wicked smirk wind up her lips, to her eyes.

That evil smile snapped him out of his trance.

Suddenly, he punched her in the chin. Hard. She gasped and stumbled backwards, eyes brimming with tears. However, she wiped them away and grinned.

"Ooh, a challenge."

"Damn it, you witch!" Of course, she wasn't really a witch. It was more of an insult than anything else. "I'm going to blast you back to hell!"

Creepily, she popped her neck and her foot slid back into a fighting position. Rida was surprised by this, how did she know such an advanced fighting position? Had she been practicing in secret?

He charged, arm that was still a gun held in a ready-to-fire position.

Just as he paused to aim, she was attacking. Lunging, she grabbed his shoulders and flipped him over her shoulders. Rida skidded several feel before going to a limp stop.

Slowly, Koji walked over and stood triumphantly over his body. "You done, you spoiled brat?"

He turned onto his back just in time to see it. Her hand was raised, and glowing a purple light. But… it wasn't a pure purple. It looked tainted, and black tendrils of darkness swam around in the glow, like small eels.

She brought her soul wave length down onto his stomach, and a searing jolt of pain exploded into his spine. He spit up blood onto her face and she laughed manically. "Ha-ha!" However, at the same time tears swelled into her violet eyes. "You spit on my shirt, you filthy pig!" Her eyes where pained, anguished, and she prepared for another attack.

However, she felt something against her stomach, and looked down to see his gun hand pressed against her heart.

"Gotcha." He smirked, before firing.

The blow was so loud that it hurt his own ears, and she was hurled backwards, her own blood splattered. The glittering red liquid seeped into the snow everywhere and tainted it a light pink.

Shakily, he stood on weak knees and wobbled over to her limp figure on the ground. Her eyes where still open, and tears streamed from her eyes in thick rivers. The water made the cold hurt her cheeks, sting them.

Slowly, she turned her head and swallowed thickly to him. "… Do you think that girl had a family?"

He pointed the gun to her temple, and she closed her eyes. However, he was taken aback by the question. "Why do you ask, scum?"

A watery smile formed onto her lips, and she hiccupped. "Can… can you tell them I'm sorry?"

"What?"

She quickly covered up the request with a quick, "Nothing, you brat."

…Rida realized something.

Koji was crying.

Koji was crying, because she was sad. Regretful. Guilty.

"Get up." He snapped, and she did so, closing her eyes. She felt him press the gun to her temple again and she squeaked.

Koji felt the tears break past their barriers, and erupt from her eyes at the knowledge that she wasn't going to live to see the sun tomorrow. Oh, how she wished to see the snow covered treetops, the frozen pond, just one more time…

She felt something warm being draped over her shoulders, and her eyes flew open. Rida was an inch from her face, his nose touching hers as he stared into her eyes.

His shoulders where bare, and his gun was gone. He had put his jacket over her body… why?

She didn't know why, but the kindness had only made her sob harder. This time convulsions wracked her body, shaking her and making her numb. It chocked her. "W-W-Why? Why are y-you being so nice?"

Without her expecting it, he wrapped his arms around her into a warm embrace. Her eyes flew even wider. She struggled, to find that his grip was too strong to break in her weakened state of being. "Promise."

"What the hell are you saying? Just shoot me!"

He pulled away, and he watched as her tears glittered on her pale cheeks, and red splotches covered her skin from crying so much. "Promise me." He shook her slightly, forcefully. "PROMISE ME that you will never, not EVER kill another human again." When she did not answer he shook her harder. "PROMISE ME."

She hiccupped, before crumbling into a mess of sobs again. This time she clutched onto him tightly, face buried into his shoulder. "I… I promise."

Even though her words where barely recognizable through her gasps for air, he could understand.

"Good. You have dishes to do, get home. Now."

Rida woke up screaming. He screamed and screamed and screamed until his throat was raw and then gasped wildly for air.

"Master Rida?"

His eyes flew open and his head smacked the back board of his bed in his frantic motion to scoot backwards. The scarlet pupils where now staring at Koji, who had a worried expression at the end of his bed. It was morning, light streamed in small rays through his window shutters. The whites of his eyes showed, and his bare chest heaved frantically.

Koji was silent, looking guilt and solemn. "Was it… the dream again?"

All he could do was nod. His throat felt dry and his tongue like sand paper.

"About that day years ago?"

He answered her question with a question. "Did you take your medicine this morning Koji? It's the only way no-one will know what you did."

She numbly nodded, looking out through the curtains. He seemed satisfied, and the grim looking girl now stood and strode to his curtains, slowly opening them. "…Thank you…"

"What?"

She covered up her weak question, like she had that one day. "Nothing, Master Rida. Please, do get dressed. I laid out your clothes for you. We need to get to school. I let you sleep in… so we're late on our second day, I'm afraid."


	7. I'm sorry?

Like always when Koji found out that he had been having THAT dream, her soul wave length was sending him feedback of stress and the frantic need to overwork itself.

All morning she had been running around their apartment, vacuuming at least three times and waxing the windows while he got ready. Just before they were about to walk out of the door, Koji had realized that his hair was still a sleepy veil of red and black tendrils. She literally attacked him with a comb, and fixed it to the best of her abilities.

He hated it when she was like this. Of course, not that he was admit it, he felt guilty. He knew that when he told her about the dream she began to think of that night as well, and the though tore her apart inside out.

The only Keshin egg that was still conscious of her actions, he was sure.

That cold, snowy night in December at Moscow, Russia was a harsh experience they both wished they could forget.

When he had found her with that little girl in her fists, it was still a month or two before she became his Meister. She had only been a maid at the Altukhov mansion then. However, he had used her as a source of amusement often in his boring home school life routine.

As the odd pair walked down the deserted street, neither dared utter a single word. The silence seemed sacred, a quiet mourning for the lost innocence that shrouded their souls as children.

Rida cast a sideways glance at Koji, who was staring up at the empty sky with her eyebrows furrowed.

Quickly he felt as if he was invading some kind of invisible wall of privacy, and looked away.

Rida wondered idly why she would have killed any humans in the first place. He knew that back then Koji was happy with where she was in life. She wouldn't have had a hunger for power.

He could hardly believe that Koji was a Keshin egg.

*At least she has the medicine* he thought silently. *At least the pills made her soul appear normal to other Meister's. As long as she keeps her promise, she will be safe.*

When Koji softly spoke, the sound yanked Rida from his thoughts and he jumped. "Master Rida?"

"What?"

"W-What is the medicine made from?" The question was abrupt, and immediately Rida looked irritated and angry.

"It's heavy magic Koji. Witches magic."

Koji sighed. Of course it was witches magic, it had to be. Nothing else could make a soul appear healthy when it was really Keshin but some kind of witch.

Rida continued. "It's relatively close to the magic that witches use when they preform Soul Protect."

Koji nodded, her slow, infection smile starting. However, Rida never smiled with her when she smiled. "OH. So then what happens if you take it, or someone normal?"

"I don't know, and really don't want to find out."

There was silence, and at first Rida thought he might have offended her. However, when he looked over she was humming lightly and smiling broadly at the sky.

He let there be more silence, but his patience was wearing thin.

Koji still wouldn't speak.

Finally, Rida snapped. "Koji, what the hell? Why are you so damn silent!"

Koji jumped eyes huge. "M-Master Rida… You like the silence!"

"Shut up."

Koji blinked. Why was he being so harsh all of the sudden? Had she done something wrong?

Suddenly her smile dropped, and she looked away with those violet pools of color that splashed her iris. Then, without warning, she sped up in her walk slightly. "Yes, Master Rida."

Something about the way she seemed to be rushing to get AWAY from him made Rida scowl.

Had he offended her?

Fine.

He didn't care.

Nope…

"Oh, Koji, hold on… Damn it." He sped up after her, knowing it wouldn't be hard to make her happy again. Hopefully, eh could do it before anyone saw.


	8. Gooseflesh

When Rida tried to catch up to Koji, she sped up. He growled, and broke out into a run.

However, she looked back with wide eyes, looking rather afraid.

Was he going to hurt her again?

When he grunted in effort, she did something only someone who wasn't human could do. She leapt up into a tree branch and leapt from limb to limb, gone from his sight before he could even make an effort to inform her he wasn't going to hurt her.

"Damn it…" Eyes downcast, he knew for sure he had hurt her feelings this time. Either that or she was petrified, which was worse.

Why was she always so scared of him?

~Later~

I was way after Koji must have already arrived that Rida slipped into the classroom, because Dr. Stein muttered that she had already left to the Death Room and was waiting for him.

As Rida turned to leave, he noticed the sheen of sweat across the other student's in the room's faces, and the overly sized toad, about the size of a medium dog, strapped to a dissection table in front of Professor Stein.

As he reached the room, Rida gathered all of his pride and stowed it away, ready to tuck it away at the back of his mind, swallow his tongue, and apologize for scaring her.

He entered the Death Room with a huff, arm at his sides.

Then his fists clenched.

Oh, Koji was indeed there.

And she was clinging on to that Death the Kid boy's shoulder like her life depended on it as Lord Death spoke to them.

That… that… that jerk!

She probably wasn't even offended! She probably just wanted to ditch him.

So that she could cling on some Symmetry Induced Freak's shoulder.

How pathetic.

Patty and Liz where chatting in the corner, and he was sure he picked up his own name in their flying streams of words. Soul was irritating Maka, who was preparing for a Maka Chop, and then there was Kid the freak with pathetic Koji hanging onto him.

He greedily let walls of ice come up around his rationality, and fully revealed himself, a chillingly wide grin stretched across his features. His dark eyes swept broodingly across everyone who had turned to him.

Koji looked back, and gooseflesh sprung up on her arms and neck.

Oh, boy.

Rida looked very angry.

She put on the best smile she could with Lord Death sill looming above them like some kind of spider in its web, waiting for someone to do something wrong so he could eat them, then came over. She placed a hand on Rida's shoulder gently. "Hey, Master Rida-"

Suddenly he grabbed her wrist and rather harshly threw it back down to her side. "Don't touch me."

She clutched her already bruised but healing wrist to her chest again, knowing that the blue bruise was probably turning black. It throbbed.

Kid stiffened and shot Rida a look that could freeze water. Rida returned the look with goading indifference.

Oh, no.

Lord Death seemed oblivious to their differences. "Today, all of you are going to go on a mission for me, understood? You will be finding the Keshin egg of the ancient pharaoh, Tutankhamen. He has been alive and under our radar for quite some time; now that more tourists are going into his part of the desert, we need him to be stopped. Kay?"

Soul, Maka, Black Star, Tsubaki, Liz, Patty, Kid, and Rida nodded. Koji was frozen.

What was going to happen now?


	9. The Storm Approaches!

It was very, very hard to see.

Koji squinted her eyes against the fierce winds around them, rather irritated and flustered by the sandstorm surrounding her small posy.

They had been walking in the desert for what seemed like FOREVER. PLUS, everyone seemed to be luckier than she. Soul and Maka had a motorcycle, and Kid had a skateboard that he rode on holding Liz and Patty in weapon form. It was just Black Star, Tsubaki, Herself, and Rida on the ground.

Rida wasn't speaking to her.

Why? What had she done?

He couldn't be… ashamed of her? No… No, he wouldn't be.

He couldn't be!

…Right?

She snuck a sideways glance at Rida, and tried to see if she could feel what his soul wave length was feeling. However, he had built up icy walls that made that impossible. All she could feel was freezing anger and frigid ignorance.

This made Koji's heart shaped lips turn into a sad frown. "Master Rida?"

"What?" He didn't seem to care if anyone else noticed his extremely sharp tone, which everyone did. Soul and Maka where cruising just beside Black Star and Tsubaki, while Kid soared just above them.

Maka gave Rida a dirty look, while Koji answered "Would you like me to carry your bag?"

He stiffly shook his head. "No, I would not one bit."

Koji recoiled like he had physically slapped her, pigtails bouncing slightly at the motion. "O-O-O-Okay, Master R-Rida."

"Stop sniveling. It's pathetic." Rida snapped, and Koji felt her eyes swelling. Why was he talking to her like this? However, she didn't dare cry and just nodded like a hopeless child.

Maka growled, whispering to Soul. "He's getting on my nerves."

Soul just nodded silently, teeth gritted. He would never talk that way to Maka, ever. He looked sideways for a split second to see that Black Star was so busy talking about how big of a star he was he hadn't even noticed what the others were saying. However, Tsubaki was looking at Rida with dangerously sparking eyes. Soul guessed that Kid could not hear over the wind roaring in his ears up in the air.

Kid finally slowed down, lowering to just above the group. "Hey, I think I can see the temple from here!"

Patty's voice came from inside her gun form. "Hey, Big Sis, just like when we beat up that other big pharaoh bully and Kid blasted him into the sky!"

Kid nodded, looking rather proud. Koji couldn't help but smile at how easy it was to make Kid happy.

Then again, it was equally as easy to make him depressed.

Kid once again went up in the sky, to scout for any upcoming dangers with golden eyes.

They walked for another good ten minutes in silence, not one person daring to utter a single word.

That is, until the wind began to pick up.

The first person to notice was Tsubaki, whom looked up and raised a brow. "Does anyone else feel that?"

Black Star nodded, blinking and looking around. "Hey, Soul! Feel that!"

Soul, who had sped quite a distance ahead, slowed his bike and finally lurched to a stop. Soon he noticed and exchanged a panicked look with Maka.

Maka finally screamed in a shrill voice, "SANDSTORM!"

Kid wobbled on his skateboard that was hovering in the air, now being forced to ride the raging wind like roaring waves. His balance wavered several times, but he regained it quickly. "I'll fly upwards!" Then he was gone.

Meanwhile, Soul was taking off his jacket and handing it to Maka. "Put it over your head and hold on tight." Maka complied without protest, and he kicked his bike to life. "Catch you guys later! Keep going until you reach the temple! If you aren't there in ten minutes we're coming for you!" He slammed his foot onto the gas pedal, and was rocketed forwards, his jacket flapping in the wind over Maka's head, along with her own cloak.

Black Star looked at Tsubaki, who gave him a worried gaze. "Well… I'm such a Big Star; it'll be no problem helping Tsubaki past this wind! No wind can blow a star as big as me away! YAHOO!" Tsubaki sighed, but was still smiling. Then he broadly stuck a thumb up. "Tsubaki, Enchanted Sword mode!"

Tsubaki nodded, putting her fate in his hands, before a glowing light surrounded her and then engulfed the figure that was Tsubaki. It changed shape, and then re-materialized as a sword. As soon as black star touched it black marks wound up his face, but his resistance seemed strong.

"Yahoo!" Black Star looked at Koji and Rida. "Meet you there, man!" Then he took off running. At first Rida thought he was an idiot, but as soon as he began to realize how much raw power and speed was behind every step, he nodded. Black Star could outrun the storm.

This left Koji to look at Rida with wistful eyes.

Rida was looking around rather clueless, trying to find a way to shelter, but Koji placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. He whipped around to shrug it off, but something about her face, eyes now closed and heart shaped lips pressed into a straight line, made him not want to move.

He felt a pulse. Not like a blood pulse, but like the air itself around them had shivered. Again, it rippled, and he looked around in bewilderment. "Koji-"as he turned back to her his pupils dilated. She had taken on a red glow, and her ringlets seemed to be almost floating around her.

As she whispered something he could not hear over the now deafening roar of moving sand, his eyes sting. "KOJI!"

The sand finally hit. With a horrifying force, Rida nearly fell off of his feet. The repulsive grainy substance violated him, whipped at his nose and cheeks and tore at his hands. Another attempt to scream to her erupted from his throat, but it was whisked away by the storm raging around them.

His eyes squeezed shut, and he tried to keep his feet rooted to the shifting ground.

*Pop*

Just as the popping noise stopped, there was silence. No noise from the wind existed, and sand no longer tore at his bare flesh. His scarlet eyes snapped open, and then went wide.

Koji stood there, still as a statue, eyes still closed and hands pressed together as if in prayer. The bloody red glow that had once surrounded her now was encasing them in a bubble.

Her soul wave length was being used as a shield from the storm. He could tell that she was focusing very hard, because she hadn't so much as opened her eyes. In wonder, Rida watched beads of sand hit the bubble and with little taps bounce off like glass. He felt like he was in a fish tank.

"Master Rida…" He looked at Koji quickly, who was slowly opening her eyes. They were eerily calm, the lavender pools tinged red. "…Let's walk."

Timidly, he complied. Koji slowly moved, as if she had been made by stone and was just coming to life. Like she was cracking away a shell and now free. He kept pace, noticing that her hands where still pressed together.

"Are you sure you can keep this up?"

She stiffly nodded, a sweat bead breaking out on her forehead with the effort to keep the bubble encasing them.

"… Koji…"

She didn't move her head to look at him, neck strained, but her eye turned sideways to him.

"Why are you helping me?"

This made her concentration falter for a moment. The bubble blurred, like broken static, several grains of sand flying in before the soul regained its concentration and blocked it out once again.

She didn't answer, and Rida didn't ask anything after that.

As they walked for what seemed like endless stretching hours, blindly because of the sand around them, Rida looked at her every now and then. Even though her face was covered with a sheen of sweat and her eyes where open wide with pain, she was smiling sweetly. Happily.

It was then that they ran right into something. The wall was indeed made of stone and very, very solid. Rida ran into it first, and Koji next. The bubble faltered and then disappeared, making them both itch with whipping sand.

"Follow the wall!" Koji screamed the words, but Rida was only able to read her lips. They both felt along the wall, before suddenly Koji fell into a gaping entrance. Rida leapt in after his Meister.

As soon as Rida looked around, he was elated. They had made it finally into the temple of the pharaoh!

Several figures where around them, and he blinked irritably once he heard the voices.

"You two made it, cool." Soul grinned, still sitting on his now parked motorcycle.

Maka and Tsubaki both ran over and huddled around Koji. Black Star was talking about how he KNEW he would make it, and he was right; Kid was looking at Tsubaki and Maka curiously, wondering if Koji was okay.

It was now out of the blinding sun that Rida saw how bad of a condition Koji was really in. Her entire body was drenched in sweat, clothes clinging to her sickly pale skin. Her ringlets where rather messy and frayed by the sand, while her eyes had a faraway look in them. She had overused her power.

He was about to run over when several hands wound around his arms.

Patty and Liz looked at him with big, glittery eyes.

"Are you okay, Rida?" Liz asked in a gooey tone, while Patty chimed "Do you need a break?"

He quickly shook his head, trying to break free of their death grips. "N-No, I-"

"Are you suuurrreee?" Liz pressed against him, and Patty's eyes flashed.

"I-I-I-"

Patty suddenly gave him a kiss on the cheek, completely disorienting him. "I think I could help you more than my Big Sis!"

Liz growled, and Patty stuck out her tongue while Rida stumbled back.

"Hey, I'm older! I call dibs!"

Patty just shrugged. "Whatever you say, Sis!"

"YOU DON'T MEAN IT!" Liz shot back with venom in her tone, eyes blazing.

However, they were both silenced by a worried, female voice. "Why is she so beat up?"

Kid nodded with Tsubaki's question, still thinking of his poor living room. "What, did you make the poor girl CARRY you?"

Rida growled stiffening and marching over to get into Kid's face. "What the hell kind of guy do you think I am?"

"The IDIOTIC kind!" Kid retorted with enough fiery hate to light oceans ablaze.

Black Star got in-between them, followed by Soul. "Hey, you two knock it out! That was stressful, okay? But I'm a Big Man, so you should both listen to me and shut the hell up!"

Kid relaxed slightly, but Rida only stepped back rigidly.

Soul seemed content with this. "Yo, Maka. You and Tsubaki got Koji?"

Maka and Tsubaki helped the limp girl to her feet, ready to put her arms over their shoulders to help her along when she sprung back to life… sort of. Her condition seemed no better, but she was trying to fend for herself.

"N-No…I can w-walk. Kay?"

Almost timidly, Maka nodded. "Okay… If you say so. But tell us if you need help, okay?"

Koji nodded, and gave a weak smile to Rida for re-assurance before inclining her head to the dark depths of the tom ahead of them. "C-Come on… W-We need to g-get this pharaoh's soul."

They agreed, before the group of students began their slow decline into the tomb. Soon, every one of their figures where swallowed by the shadows.


	10. A Evil Hero?

As the group walked in silence, Liz clutched to a now forgiven Patty, in case there where monsters. There was no sound but their empty sounding footsteps that echoed off of the walls and traveled down for what seemed like endless space beyond the shadows that stretched in front of them.

However, Koji was getting worse. She definitely needed a break, but she didn't want to disappoint Rida. Every step she managed dragged and made her throbbing head pulse with pain. She leaned against the wall for support, head hanging for what seemed like endless hours until finally, her knees buckled harshly.

Thudding to the stone ground, everyone crowded around her crumpled figure on the floor.

Soul shook his head and slurped loudly. "Dude, she can't do this for much longer."

Tsubaki knelt down and placed a hand on Koji's sweat drenched forehead. "She really way overused her soul length."

Maka had her brows furrowed. "Her wave length is weak… Weird… it looks like it's even darker in color…"

Rida jumped. "That's impossible!" He nearly screamed the words.

Nodding his head, Black Star shrugged. "Maka, he IS right. Soul wave lengths don't just CHANGE color—or else mine would be gold, because I'm the star. YAHOO!"

Kid sighed, shook his head, then as Tsubaki stood knelt down in front of Koji as well. His voice was quiet when he spoke, almost soft. "Koji, if you want I will have you brought right back to campus-"

Rida was about to agree, but Koji made a throaty noise to shut them up and dragged herself to a sitting position against the wall. "N-No… Just… Just go ahead." They gave her skeptical looks, and she forced a smile through the pain to re-assure them, opening her eyes. "Really… I-I can catch up later."

"Koji, don't push yourself-"Rida bent down on one knee to meet her eyes, but she stuck a hand out and gently stopped him.

Then, Koji winked and laughed meekly. "Don't worry Boss, I won't letcha down…"

Ride looked into her eyes for a few more moments, and then stood turning to the dark, dank hallway hey where going to go down. "Well, you heard her. Let's go!" Without another word, he took off down the hallway.

"Hey, wait up!" Liz gasped and took off after Rida, a dreamy look in her eyes. Paddy charged on after her.

Kid sighed, cast a look to Koji, and then muttered. "Well, they aren't waiting. Come on Maka, Soul."

The three took off, Kid on his levitating Skate board and Maka and Soul running in tow.

Only when she could hear no sign of her friends at all, did she begin to let tears slip out from under her lashes.

Her Soul Wave length was evil, she knew that much, so it fed on power and life force. Now that she had over stressed it and sued all of its power, her soul was taking what it needed from her life force.

It burned.

No, not like normal burning, this was like an internal inferno dissolving anything that got in its path. Every time a new wave of fire washed over her body, she felt herself inching closer to unconsciousness.

A harsh, strong wave of burning hit once more, and she yelped slightly, eyes closing.

She wanted to curl up and sleep, eyelids feeling steadily heavier by the second.

Yes, it would be so easy just to relax, and fall… into… sleep…

"No!" Koji's eyes snapped open to her own voice, which sounded disconnected and distant. "Get up, Koji… Come on…"

Unwillingly, Koji pulled herself to her feet. Using the back of her hand, the silver haired girl wiped tears from her cheek and then popped her neck. "No… I will not let you kill me. I will not lose to the monster I created. I WON'T!"

Taking a rough step forwards, Koji staggered and nearly fell. However, her hand caught the wall and she helped herself along the darkness that lay ahead.

Koji was not sure for how long she walked, but the monster was winning. She only knew through the waves of pain to keep moving, keep moving, keep moving…

Koji looked up with a sheen of sweat shining on her skin, just in time to gag and hurl in exhaustion.

Gasping for air and trying to straighten back out, Koji wandered where Rida was. Maybe she had even gone the wrong way… Maybe she was lost forever.

"Dear one, you seem lost."

Koji tried to whip around to see who had spoken from behind her, but she had no strength. Instead, she tried to suck up all the pain and weakness and whispered in a hoarse voice, "Who… Who is it?"

"My…" The voice rounded her left ear, and then a figure came into view. The boy's face was hidden by bandages that wrapped around his entire head, but his stunningly golden eyes shone from two holes. She could tell by several patches sticking out that he had black hair. "You do not seem well. You vomited from exhaustion, did you not?"

She stumbled backwards from him, but ended up losing her balance and truly falling. She hit the ground hard, and then gave up and simply lay back, eyes closing.

"You definitely are not well. Well," He sighed heftily. "Time to go." Through fuzzy vision Koji saw that he snapped and tendrils of black crept from the shadows, slithering towards her.

At first Koji was sure that they were going to hurt her, but they gently slithered under her back and lifted her from the ground, carrying her in waves after the black haired boy, whom continued to talk casually.

"Tell me traveler, where do you come from?"

Mustering up the strength to whisper again, she whispered "Russia."

"Where?"

"I was born in Russia…"

"Never heard of this 'Russia place'. Is it nice?" He must be smiling from under the bandages, she realized, and this made her smile weakly.

"…It's…. very cold."

"Ah, I see."

Koji swallowed thickly, and he kept walking with swinging arms. Soon enough, the boy stopped in place and the waves of tendrils beneath Koji stopped as well. He tapped on a brick in the wall and it sank under his touch. For a moment, all was still, and then suddenly a whole chunk of the wall sank back as well and slid out of the way.

He stepped inside and Koji was carried in as well.

The door sealed shut behind them, and Koji realized that she had no idea which brick he had pushed to make an escape.

Watching with half dead eyes, Koji lay limp as the boy looked at her for a long while, then snapped his fingers. The tendrils responded immediately, writhing. "Go ahead, my pets."

Suddenly the tendrils of pure darkness got very, very cold. Koji felt gooseflesh rise on her arms and tried to squirm, but was too weak. A squeak escaped from deep within her throat. Soon, the sticky threads began to latch themselves to her face. Quickly they wrapped over her mouth and she watched with wide eyes as the boy laughed at her.

Black began to swarm her vision, and then everything was masked.

Koji opened her eyes to realize that the tendrils where unlatching themselves and slithering back into the darkness.

The next thing she realized was that all pain had evaporated from her muscles, and she felt a strange strength that pulsed through her veins.

Her wavelength was restored.

Standing shakily, she immediately gushed to the mysterious boy. "T-Thank you! You…. Saved me…."

The boy nodded, and she wondered if he was smiling beneath the bandages. He waved his hand at her and winked the one visible eye. "Oh, you're too much."

Koji was about to thank him once more, when he asked. "What is your name, traveler?"

She immediately felt as though she should bow, but knew that the only person she would bow to ever was Rida. "My name is Koji."

"What about your last name, Koji of Russia?"

She blinked, taken back slightly. "O-Oh… I guess I don't have one~" Smiling sweetly, she was feeling much more like herself. "Just Koji. What's yours?"

"King Tutankhamen himself, the ruler of the desert!" He boasted, doing a mini-bow to her as if to introduce himself.

Koji froze, and her smile flipped into a very sad frown.

Tutankhamen stood straight, alarmed. "What is it, Koji of Russia?"

Koji felt like she might cry. "I was sent here to kill you."


	11. The Tale!

"I'm sorry, I must be misunderstanding you. What?" The boy's head tilted, and by the way his bandages lengthened she guessed his jaw dropped. He did not sound afraid, simply very baffled—he did not understand the severity of his situation.

"You're Kind Tutankhamen, the Keshin Egg."

"I still misunderstand. I am a what?" The boy was raising hands as if in defeat. "I do not wish to fight you, traveler. I do not fight women."

Koji frowned and looked at the wall in silence for a moment, before asking a question that she didn't really want to know the answer to. "Have you been eating people who come here?"

There was a brief pause, before he too looked away. His voice was slowly becoming more and more dismayed, loosing its happy touch. "Not their bodies."

"Just the blue things that come out of them, right?"

He looked at her with that one eye, and she could see guilt in it. "I couldn't stop once I had begun…"

She nodded. "I understand-" But he interrupted in an unexpected, strained voice.

"How could you understand? HOW could you possibly know what it's like to-"

She countered his interruption with her own, but unlike his edgy voice hers was soft and grave, solemn. "-To know that you're hurting the innocent and to not be able to stop? To feel your own power growing with innocent blood and feel... happy? To want MORE, to be hungry for them? To know what you're doing is vile?"

A stretching silence as he just… LOOKED at her, his golden eye smoldering.

"…You really do understand, Traveler…"

She sighed, and let a small silence drag on for a time, until he finally interrupted it.

"I do not want to." His one eye was looking downcast, and Koji frowned.

"Why can't you just be malicious and evil? Why do you have to be so good?" She could see a smile from under his bandages. This was worse, as this boy whom she had been so ready to defeat moments ago looked at her with a guilt ridden, soft eye. He wasn't making any moves to fight her, or trying to find a way out. He was standing, completely defenseless, straightening his composure very suddenly as if he was trying to regain some kind of kingly status in her eyes.

When he spoke, he sounded grimly soft and defeated, golden eye focused on the floor.

"Koji from Russia… will you sit for a moment? Will you tell me you're story?" Koji, a little surprised, tilted her head at him in confusion. He smiled at her, and continued. "I sense that you do not want to kill me… but why? I need to know everything; I am the King, am I not?"

Koji was at first ready to sit on the floor in front of his throne, but then he snapped his fingers and the stone that made up the floor in front of it began to rise and morph, until it was in the shape of a small chair. She sat in it gracefully, before for the first time reaching up to check on her ringlets. They were in bad condition, frayed and messy, and she sighed before letting them go once more. That seemed like a horribly petty thing to be worried over now.

"Everything, King Tutankhamen?"

He smiled at the use of his royal name, as Koji knew he would. "Everything."

"… Then I should start from the very, very beginning."

There was a very brief silence, in which Tutankhamen nodded to her warmly, his golden eye focused intently on her own eyes, their light purple depths shifting with every second. He seemed calm, and Koji knew deep down he would have killed her already if he wanted to. He had been given many chances.

"I was born to a man and woman named Anya and Kovski, Anya being my mother and Kovski my father. But, they didn't count themselves as my birth parents…" She sighed and looked up ever so slightly, but her eyes where distant, glassy, their color shifting slightly as different lights hit her irises. "I was alone, mostly—but very young. Too young to fend for myself. There were a few good people; neighbors who knew of my 'parents' treatment of me, and would invite me in or feed me or give me a warm place to sleep when the door was locked." Tutankhamen watched calmly from his throne, golden eye focused down onto Koji as her features changed; eyes smoldering, like the calm before a storm, fists tightening on her lap, eyebrows furrowing. But still, her eyes stayed distant, stayed lost in her tale.

She made no effort to hide or mask or tone down her feelings, which made him feel as though he could relax. She was so… different from the women of his time… how long ago had that been? Years? Centuries? What had women been like? Quiet, refined, polite—like Koji. But always, they stayed silent and kept bowed heads and bottled in feelings.

No heart, so empathy. Just pretty faces. Faces in a sea of other faces that had flown by him like a blur of color.

"Continue, Koji of Russia." He offered gently as she paused, and she nodded before going on.

"I was three, maybe four when they died. It's difficult to remember, now… They just left, and never returned. I figure they got mugged or jumped or-"

Tutankhamen straightened himself in his stone throne, adding in with a doubtful tone, "Or they ran off."

She recoiled slightly, before nodding and biting her lip. "…Or running away. I know it's awful, I really do, but…" Her lips twitched downwards slightly, silver bangs hiding her eyes. "I think I would rather them be dead." She left no room for a silence, or for Tutankhamen to speak before continuing. "The neighbors came to look for me after I hadn't gone wondering to their doorsteps, but I hid from them. Nobody had to know. I lived in that empty house for a long time, getting by with the good, cliché old pickpocketing orphan routine." She smiled softly to Tutankhamen, and he nodded to her encouragingly, humor showing on both of their faces for a moment.

"When I was almost six, I had dimly decided to search out farther than I usually did—Needless to say, I became lost. I know you've never been to Russia… but it's very, VERY cold. Snow was everywhere."

"Snow?" He leaned forwards slightly, and under the bandages Koji was nearly positive he was beaming eagerly, which broke her heart. He knew she had to kill him. He was being kind. It wasn't fair.

"Snow is ice that falls from the sky."

"Does that not break your monuments of your kings?!" His visible eye widened in shock, head tilting.

Koji smiled softly, laughing out loud at his blatant horror at the idea. "We have a sort of king in Russia—but not exactly. Not anymore, really. And it's tiny little pieces of ice; they're soft."

"Ahhh." He nodded, leaning back once more. "This Russia place sounds interesting."

Koji agreed a little proudly. "Rida thinks so as well."

"Rida?"

"Oh!" She smiled wide, remembering about her story. "Right, continuing…" She was silent, before picking up where she had left off. "Well, the Snow was bitter cold… Looking back on it, when I collapsed there on the sidewalk, I would have died if it wasn't for Rida. His limo was driving by me when I collapsed—he ordered the driver to pull around."

"Limo?" She was amazed by how much he didn't know, but still patiently explained.

"A chariot of sorts, but it goes forwards without horses." His eye was widened in awe, and she went on with the story. "But he made the driver stop—he got out and ordered his nanny to carry me into the car. She opposed—Rida tells me that she said I was 'dirty'. I remember waking up in his house—a bit of a mansion… which is like a temple, for you. They kept me in an isolated room and questioned me every now and then—but I never saw Rida. When I told them my parents had passed on, they went to call the police and get me into foster care…" She blinked, shrugging slightly. "But something happened. I don't know what, but next thing I knew they had changed their minds and I was to work for the Altukhov House. I was stationed in the kitchen—it required the least amount of experience. I think I worked there for… about three months."

"So then, you were a servant?" Tutankhamen was not being harsh or rude, but his lofty voice made it easy for him to look conceited while saying this. "Ah, no offence. I just remember servants very differently than you, I suppose." He scratched his bandaged head, sighing.

"Of course! No offence taken… Well, anyways, after around three months they decided they had enough hands in the kitchen, and they could move me to a different job. I was nearing nine years old at the time. They told me I was to look after the young master's room. Of course, at the time I didn't piece together who that may be. I was told not to be seen, don't take anything, and don't make any sort of mess or I would get the switch."

"Ah, a switch. Something I can relate to." His golden eye rolled, and Koji giggled at this.

"So I went up to his room when I was certain everyone was gone at a fancy dinner—I opened the door, holding my try of cleaning supplies—But when I walked in he was sitting there, jabbing away on some video game controller. When he saw me-" She giggled, a warm, inviting smile on her heart shaped lips. "-He flipped, demanding to know why I was in the room. I was terrified. My first day on my job and I was already going to get the switch."

She was practically beaming now—but then suddenly her smile faltered. "He wasn't amused by my stammering—he swore he was going to tell the nanny and I was going to get it. I started crying, I think, and he calmed down…"

She smiled softly for a moment, looking at the ground. "I did my job quickly as possible and left the room. But in the next weeks he started… showing up. He had never come wandering around the house before, but now he would just appear when I was dusting the main room or washing the dishes. He would make small talk then leave, make small talk and leave. It was a cycle, you know? I was just excited to have someone to talk to. All of the adults there ignored me, pardon the nanny, who every time she talked to me threatened to switch me."

"It wasn't until around a year later, when I was ten, that he actually started to have conversations with me. The nanny would find us chatting and chase me off, but he would always find me and continue what we were saying. Once he invited me to play video games with him." She sighed joyfully, leaning back. "Oh, that was the best day… We played together and battled monsters and raised them too. I didn't know he liked games that you could raise things in—Every time I had come in before he was killing zombies or shooting other people… But then, the nanny came in with a switch. I remember how scary she looked. I was never one to run from authority, so I just sat there crying, too afraid to stand up and leave the room so she could switch me. But then, Rida stood up and began to yell at her." Her eyes widened as if she was there, witnessing it for the first time again. "He yelled and screamed at her and she yelled and screamed back. Then… he fired her. On the spot. She had been around for four years, and he fired her over switching me."

"This Rida person… He was your friend? But you were a servant!" He leaned back in his thrown, eye widening. "And to fire the child watcher—ah, how I would have loved to do that!"

"They're not very fun, are they?" Koji grinned, and then they both shared a warm laugh. "After that though, there was no nanny. I sort of… took her position. Rida wouldn't let anyone tend to his food or cleaning, and fired everyone who tried. He took me to dinners and the town. When I was twelve he began training, on orders of his father. His father is a professional Death Scythe… they hunt Kishin." She watched as Tutankhamen sighed heavily, as if the very word weighed him down. "I was amazed when he showed me he could turn into a weapon. I was horribly unversed in the whole 'Meister and Weapon' thing."

Tutankhamen nodded, but Koji could see confusion in his eyes. "Meister is the one who wields this 'weapon'?"

"Exactly. They're both a team—two souls, linked into one." She sighed lightly, snuggling back into her seat slightly. "However, Rida didn't have a Meister—not at first. I watched, day after day, as Meister girls and boys alike came and trained with Rida, before leaving. He was never satisfied." Her fists tightened. "Funny thing…" Despite her words, it was obvious that whatever Koji was about to say was, in fact, not very funny at all. Her voice had dropped slightly, as if she was afraid of being overheard, and her smile had turned grim. "…"

The silence stretched on, and Tutankhamen was too eager to hear what she was about to say to interrupt.

"One of Rida's possible Meister partners was the first soul I ever ate."

((Ohsnap, I just threw a lot into your face, didn't I :3 Isn't Tutankhamen just so lovable 3 I adore him. shall make fanart for him later... Eventually xD

And so here you get to see a little more into Koji and Rida's background~ Adding depth to the characters, as they say. ))


	12. To Save A Life

"A dead end..." Maka sighed, scanning the wall intently with dissapointed green eyes. So we walked all this way for nothing..."

"Come on out, you bastard! Black Star the great will teach you a lesson! YAHOOOOO!" Black Star did a fist bump with Soul whom immediatly joined in with the jiving.

"Yeah, what are you, a big chicken?! BCACK!" He mimicked how a chicken walks, head poking out and arms flapping frantically as Black Star mimicked as well, walking in circles around Soul, chirping.

"Black Star..." Tsubaki waved her hands in front of herself gently, slightly red faced. Do you really think you should be-"

"Soul stop!" Maka frantically snapped, teeth gritted. "Who know's what'll hear you?!"

Soul slurped slightly, then grinned. "What's wrong, Maka? You chicken too? BCACKKK!"

Kid then proceeded to watch as Patty started pointing and laughing, pulling Liz unwillingly closer to the ruckus. "Big Sis, hahaHAH! Look!"

Kid sighed, turning to inspect the wall once again. "There's more than likely a brick or stone you have to push or something... I mean, this isn't my first temple, so-"

"Doubt it." The voice that came from behind Kid was more than a little cynical; acidic, even. Kid turned to find the revoltingly unsymmetrical boy with his hands in his slack pockets, back to Kid as he began to walk away into the darkness behind the group. Nobody was noticing but Kid; they where all too busy bickering.

"What are you doing?" Kid narrowed his golden eyes slightly, fists clenching.

He could practically FEEL Rida's eyes roll. "This was obviously pointless." The boy raised his red eyebrow, black one staying put. "I'm going to find Koji."

"Didn't she seem a little sick to carry you back home?" Kid hissed, edge in his tense muscles and venom in his voice.

"You really just won't drop this, will you?" Rida stopped dead in his tracks, and when he ever so slowly turned his face was placid, a short, tight smirk stretched humorlessyl and hatefully on his lips.

However, his scarlet eyes smoldered into Kid's.

"Listen, **_Stripes_**." Rida seethes, obviously on the verge of a seriously violent fit. "You've only known Koji for a few days." His tone was wavering, and it was obvious he was attempting and failing to keep it calm. "You've only known Koji for a few days. You aren't that attached to her, so drop it." He glared at Kid for a second, as if expecting the boy to relax and obey. When he failed to comply Rida only grew more furious. "You don't know anything about her. For all YOU know, we fuck every night! So piss off, Comrade."

"You're revolting." Kid chided, disgust in his voice as visible as the scowl on his face. "Doesn't it even bother you how you just... use her?" The scowl twisted and tilted into a pitying sneer.

"Oh, shut up, you assymetrical bastard!" Rida raised his arm, and in a small scarlet flash it had twisted and morphed into a partial gun, pointed at Kid. "Keep your nose in your own business, and out of hers! Out of ours!"

The room had gone completely silent, all eyes on Rida and Kid as Kid staggered slightly. First, fried came over his features, then dismay.

And finally, anger.

"Uh-oh..." Liz inhaled slightly, eyes going wide, honestly not sure if Kid was going to cry or rip Rida's head off. Both of them would really, really suck.

"He used the a-word, Sis!" Patty whispered harshly, blue eyes nearly as wide as the moon.

"Why, you-" Kid stepped back slightly, then literally hurled himself at Rida, lips pulled back into an animalistic snarl.

"Kid!" Maka chirped desperatly, just as Kid ran full force into something that felt like a stone wall.

There was a blood red flash that flooded the whole cavern with blinding light, then dust filled the air.

When the dust began to fall back to Earth, everyone could see.

Kid was doubled over in pain, Black Star and Soul at his side. He had run right into Black Star's arm, which he had stuck out to stop Kid.

Rida was glaring, breathing harshly, the end of his gun arm smoking. Kid struggled to stand, eyes a little too wide and fists clenched so hard his knuckles where white.

On the floor between the two was a small, writhing, bandage wrapped creature that resembled a cat with eight legs, it's large white teeth slightly parted.

"Woah~" Liz gushed, cheecks slightly pink.

"He just shot it dead! HAHAHAHHAHA!" Patty burst into a fit of hysterical giggles, pointing to the creature as it squirmed in pain, clawed appendages reaching out to Kid uselessly.

Soul just blinked; Himself, Mama, and Tsubaki had been shocked into silence.

FInally, Black Star took a step toward the creature and stepped on it. With a horrible crunching sound, the job was finished. It's skin desolved away slowly, before leaving a small floating red kishin soul in it's place.

Kid simply stared, shocked. Had Rida just saved his life from whatever... that creature was?

Before anyone else moved, Rida swiftly bent down and snatched the soul, watching as it's surface rippled at his touch. Then, he promptly opened his mouth wide and swallowed it whole. "...It was my kill." He pardoned himself, then turned, ignoring Kid and the others. "If these things are here, then Koji's in trouble. I'm going to get her." He didn't mention that he knew she was defenseless, and that if anything so much as looked at her funnyhe would personally blow a hole through it's bloody kishin skull- He tried not to think that Koji too was a kishin, and that he had just eatent he same kind of soul she posessed.

Maka was the first to speak up. "We're going with you."

"What?" Rida paused to stare back at them, eyes reflecting heavy shock. "No."

"Of course we're going." Tsubaki insisted softly, and Black Star leaped from behind her, beaming.

"Besides, how do you expect to live without a big star like me around?!"

"Wel'll go!" Patty and Liz burst at the same time, then began to glare at each other. Death the Kid said nothing.

Rida was silent for a moment, back to them, before he shrugged and in a hesitant voice muttered, "W-Whatever." And began to walk into the gaping darkness ahead, hand gun shifting and morphing with every second, completing itself, turning into the more proper barrel of a shot gun.

"Cool." Soul grinned, then took a step to follow him.

**-So, tell me, what do you all think that Rida and Koji's relationship dynamic is? Or rather, what they think of each other. And also, I just had to keep you waiting to know how Koji ate her first Kishin soul for this chapter :3 Also, if you could pair any of the characters (OC included), who would you pair them with? I'm mainly just loving the feedback I'm getting, and love to involve and engage my readers. Thank you all so much!-**


End file.
